Study Guide:

Godwin-Jones, R. (2015). The evolving roles of language teachers: Trained coders, local researchers, global
citizens. Language Learning & Technology, 19, 10-22. Retrieved from
http://llt.msu.edu/issues/february2015/emerging.pdf

This article examines the different roles that second language (L2) teachers need to play to be effective in
today’s evolving world: trained coders, local researchers, and global citizens.

IMPORTANT EXPRESSIONS
Please provide a definition for each of the following expressions:
1. Action research:
2. Exploratory practice:
3. Global citizens:
4. Intercultural communicative competence:
5. Technology fluency:
6. Web literacy:

BEFORE YOU READ
Consider these questions:
1. Which external and internal motivators are most important for you to gain technology fluency?
2. What are some advantages and disadvantages of students growing more connected to their mobile
devices?
3. How can technology fluency affect intercultural communicative competence and vice versa?

AS YOU READ
Consider these questions:
1. How do your web literacy skills align with those mentioned by the author?
2. How will being a global citizen benefit you as a language teacher?
3. What resources can you think of to help you become a trained coder, local researcher, and global
citizen?

SUMMARY OF ARTICLE
Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate word. Use the article to help you.
• Learning to Code
o Technology _______________ can be developed through learning to code.
o It will allow L2 teachers to gain a deeper understanding of how technology tools and services were
created and how they can be improved.
o _______________ to code is also an activity that enables learning in an authentic, task-based
context, learning to break down complex ideas into smaller elements, learning to collaborate with
others, and learning to strategize working around bottlenecks.
• Technology Fundamentals
o L2 teachers should also learn the fundamentals of the World _______________Web and the Internet.
o Basic _______________ literacy skills include searching, selecting, repurposing, troubleshooting,
bookmarking, annotating, and curating.
o They also concern understanding streaming media and the legal and technical aspects of saving these
media as files.
o Understanding the basics of scripting languages is also important because learning management
systems like Moodle use scripting _______________ like PHP.
o Familiarity with communication tools is also recommended.
 o The central importance played by mobile devices in students’ lives means that teachers need to
evaluate the possibilities of mobile-friendly access for learning tools.
o Mobile-_______________ web pages that adapt to a mobile phone’s screen, along with resources
like vocabulary flashcards, audio files, or short readings would encourage students to make use of
learning resources while on the go.
• Learning to Use Technology in Context
o Even in well-equipped schools, there is little evidence of technology integration in
_______________ instruction.
o One reason is that teachers are unsure of how to integrate _______________ into their particular
context.
o Another reason is that national or local curricula place higher priority on getting the content
delivered and less on how it is delivered.
o A third _______________ is that students might not feel comfortable or confident in their use of the
particular tools and services used in the classroom.
o These issues can be overcome by giving teachers free rein over which resources to use and then
encouraged to reflect on this practice.
o Action research or exploratory _______________, where teachers improve their teaching through
experimentation, can be beneficial to other teachers too.
• Integrating Intercultural Communicative Competence
o An emerging goal in L2 learning is to shape students into informed and engaged _______________
citizens.
o Global citizens are people who understand their own culture enough to be able to appreciate the
similarities and _______________ of others’ cultures when interacting with them.
o Intercultural communicative _______________ (ICC) is a skill that global citizens have.
o The integration of ICC in the L2 classroom is more meaningful and authentic is the teacher has had
personal experiences with other _______________.
o To make full use of these first-hand experiences, teachers can engage in writing reflections about
their teaching from a cultural perspective.
• Outlook
o L2 teachers’ abilities to incorporate _______________ into their classrooms is partly influenced by
where they are in their career paths.
o The typical _______________ path starts with a strong focus on classroom procedures and survival
strategies.
o As the teacher continues down the path and gets more acquainted with their individual
_______________ styles, they start to develop a stronger sense of the social and cultural aspects of
their classrooms and can do a better job of selecting materials.
o To achieve and maintain the ideal level of technology integration, we need to move beyond external
motivators like pressure from supervisors.
o Instead, teachers need to envision an ideal self as a teacher in order to start seeing how technology
_______________ in their teaching can best help them work towards that identity.

AFTER YOU READ

Now that you have read the article, which of the three roles mentioned in the article will be most challenging
for you to adopt? Why? Reflect below.